Stars & Stripes reports on an NCIS investigation they were handed from Army CID in regards to the death of Staff Sergeant Logan J. Melgar on June 4th at the US Embassy in Mali. The cause of SGG Melgar’s death was strangulation, according to CID.

Soon after the incident, two Navy SEAL Team 6 members were whisked out of the country and put on administrative leave while military law enforcement carries out its probe, the Times reported.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which was unavailable Monday for immediate comment, is now leading the investigation. U.S. Africa Command officials were also not immediately available for comment.

Melgar was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group out of Fort Bragg, N.C., the same unit as the team involved in an Oct. 4 ambush in Niger, where four soldiers died. The group is responsible for many AFRICOM special operations missions on the continent.

Much is unknown about what happened around 5 a.m. on June 4 in the team house. The initial reports to Sergeant Melgar’s superiors in Germany said he had been injured while wrestling or grappling with the two Navy commandos, according to three officials who have been briefed on the investigation.

According to one version of events, one of the SEALs put Sergeant Melgar in a chokehold. When the sergeant passed out, the commandos frantically tried to revive him. Failing that, they rushed him to an emergency clinic, where he was pronounced dead.

Given the character of the players in this little theater, I tend to believe that it was horseplay that got out of hand more than anything else. But I guess we’ll see.

I was taught the carotid restraint and used it many times. One of the things they cautioned us was overuse of it could cause Vagus nerve over stimulation and cardiac arrhythmia.
I have seen attempts at a carotid restraint that became an armbar across the throat because of the violent nature of the struggling.
Either way, very sad situation for all involved.

The Vagus nerves (10th cranial nerves)are paired nerves and their function is to slow the heart (Parasympathetic antagonists of the Sympathetic Cardiac Plexus)by innervating the heart and Aorta(Big Red.

Anatomically, they are located in the sheaths overlying the Left and Right Carotid arteries. It is basically impossible to obstruct the artery without stimulating the nerve. That is the mechanism of a properly applied hold rather than to simply obstruct the airway. That innervation is also why a hold should in as much as possible only be applied to the one side. Barring across the throat completely obstructing the airway and both arteries while simultaneously stimulating the nerve (unavoidable) is inherently more dangerous because of the lack of circulation, airflow, and nerve compression.

Bingo. You have about 4 mins to remedy an obstructed airway. I can’t imagine a situation where these cats, being team guys, forgot the training they received on creating a surgical airway. This looks all around horrible.

That’s one ooops you just don’t want to be part of. Having been part of hijinks that went wrong (only cost me 6 stitches and a concussion), things can get out of hand – stay away from chokes and for chrissake, TAP-THE-F-OUT if you get put in one.

What 11BMailclerk said: and if the other guy won’t stop, you grab his man parts and yank them out of his crotch, or pound him there so hard he can’t breather. Also, you’re allowed to bite, kick, scratch, and whatever to get it to stop.

One of these days, IDC_SARC, your bar bill is going to be paid because I will be sitting there with a video cam while you pound down a 5th of Rare Cask MacAllan Single Malt and tell me every sea/land story in your repertoire.

A likely-apocryphal story suggests that Poe based that particular tale on true events surrounding the demise of a particularly unpopular officer at Fort Independence. According to legend, in 1817 several enlisted men at the fort got LT Gustavus Drane drunk and sealed him in the fort’s catacombs in revenge for his killing of LT Robert Massie in a duel. The duel was said to have been fought over the outcome of a card game, with Drane as the aggressor.

‘Twould be a sauce for the ages:
A spicy wholegrain brown mustard, with the scent of cider vinegar wafting from the jar…
the darkest blackstrap molasses available…
a true dark brown cane sugar, with the aroma of honey clinging to it…
a tomato paste, freshly made, as a thickener, and tomato sauce as the base… Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce, adding its darkening notes to the mix… pink Himalayan salt, ancient as the mountains where it is mined…
garlic and onion powder as a subtle balancer…
a half cup of the Rare Cask Macallan adding darker notes of bourbon-soaked oak, vanilla and chocolate…

Mix thoroughly over very low heat. Stir. Continue to stir until your arm feels like it’s going to fall off.
Slap it on short ribs and let it soak in then roast the ribs.

Negligent homicide/involuntary manslaughter if death is caused unintentionally but directly by the actions of an individual(s)…no intent for anyone to die but someone did. That’s probably worst case scenario, but it’s a pretty severe situation.

Probably done. Not too many Commanders willing to risk their own careers on people who have displayed this type of judgment. They throw people out of the service for minor bullshit, no way would they keep these two. Big Army tried to toss that SF SNCO who hit the Afghan tribal chief (or whatever the fuck he was) for molesting a kid.

If they were playing the old choking game, it’s possible the cricoid cartilage was broken. The correctly taught way to administer the carotid hold is to place the “v” of your elbow over the cricoid, leaving a space, thus protecting it, then squeezing the carotid arteries on either side limiting the flow of blood to the brain. Placing anything directly over the cricoid is un-good. Best thing to do is not to do this hold.

I train with chokes 2-3 hours a day five days a week. There are just some from the back that guys try to kick out of in desperation and get tighter. You can’t see when they pass out from the back choking them. It has left a few people doing the twitching-chicken when someone else tapped out on me for them. I couldn’t even see them go out.

I think that with the explosion of MMA and the rejuvenation of unarmed combat in the Military there is a metric shit-ton of that type of training going on.
Both formal and off duty.
There is a retired Navy SEAL Officer named Jocko Wilnick who while serving in Iraq used to practice on and with his Unit.
It was a running thing to have some unwitting new guy offer to tussle with him or “provoke” him so he would choke them out.
Sad case here.
I would surmise that any type of punishment would be based on how much, if any alcohol was consumed.

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About thisainthell

We are all military combat veterans and we write primarily from that perspective. Everyone who writes here has a Combat Infantry Badge, a Combat Medic Badge, a Combat Action Badge or a Combat Action Ribbon. We write about issues that matter to combat veterans..read more »